THEORIES OF EMOTION

Compare and Contrast between Theories of Emotion

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion3

James-Lange Theory of Emotions (Feelings are a physical product)4

Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotions5

Comparing the Theory of Emotions6

Conclusion8

References10

Appendix11

Compare and Contrast between Theories of Emotion

Introduction

With the appearance of the school of behaviorism, where internal concepts such as feeling and emotion were considered to be too mentalist, the topic of emotion was either subordinated to motivation or almost entirely lost in the stimulus-response paradigm of the behaviorists. The experiences suggest that every human being possesses emotions and as an act followed a bodily changes occur. It seems that events follow the following order: stimulus-emotion-physiological reaction. Different experiments have contributed towards the theories of emotions.

Discussion

It is amusing to note how some of the early writers in psychology anticipated the modern notion of cognitive theory in emotions. For instance, Walter Pillsbury asserted that all emotions have an instinctive basis, and emotion may be defined as the conscious side of instinct. As used today, the theory of emotions regarded, even though a number of different investigators over many years have contributed various aspects and refinements to the theory. For example, M. Arnold, A. Ellis, R. Lazarus, S. Schachter, and J. Singer have been prominent in the development of the cognitive theory of emotions and collectively propose, in general, that there are two steps in the process of cognitive interpretation of an emotional episode: the interpretation and appraisal of stimuli from the external environment; and the interpretation and appraisal of stimuli from the internal autonomic arousal system. (Carstensen 2005 140-149)

James-Lange Theory of Emotions (Feelings are a physical product)

The James-Lange theory of emotions has been the subject of considerable scientific debate since its publication by James in Principles of Psychology (1890). Portions of James's theory had been formulated by the Danish physiologist Lange in 1885. James combined his views with those of Lange and credited Lange in the name of the theory. It offers a physiological explanation of the constitution, organization, and conditioning of the coarser emotions such as grief, fear, rage, and love in which “everyone recognizes strong organic reverberations,” and the subtler emotions, or “those whose organic reverberations are less obvious and strong,” such as moral, intellectual, and aesthetic feelings.

The general causes of the emotions are assumed to be internal, physiological, nervous processes and not mental or psychological processes. The moods, affections, and emotions that persons experience are “constituted and made up of those bodily changes which we ordinarily call their expression or consequence” (James 1890, p.452). A purely disembodied emotion—for example, the emotion of fear without a quickened heartbeat, sharp breathing, or weakened limbs—would be a nonentity for this theory. The emotions are the result of organic changes that occur in the body as a reflex effect of an exciting object or fact confronting the person.

There are three factors in the sequence of an emotional experience: (1) the perception of an exciting fact or object; (2) a bodily expression such as weeping, striking out, or fleeing; and (3) a mental affection or emotion, such as ...